Taking note of the mismanagement of funds allocated under schemes sponsored by the central government, the Supreme Court today restrained the Union government from taking any steps to hand over the administration of the crucial midday meal scheme to the states.

The midday meal scheme provides school children with a meal in school and which has ensured that poor children attend schools.

Justice Y K Sabharwal, Justice D M Dharmadhikari, and Justice Tarun Chatterjee passed an interim order to this effect while hearing a petition filed by the People's Union for Civil Liberties. The petition highlighted starvation deaths and non-implementation of social schemes to make a case against the state governments.

Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves said that a commission appointed by the court to look into the implementation of various social schemes had said that funds allocated to the states had been mismanaged.

He said the Centre was contemplating handing over the administration of the midday meal scheme that played a crucial role in attracting children from the families below the poverty line to the schools, and expressed apprehension that this scheme would also die a natural death.

The bench said, "Till further orders, the union government shall not transfer the mid-day meal scheme to the state governments." However, it clarified that this interim order in no way would hamper the flow of funds from the Centre and the implementation of the scheme by the states.

To another report on "starvation" death of 23 children of the Sahariya tribe in Baran district of Rajasthan in August, the Supreme Court asked the Rajathan government what measures it was taking to help the tribe.

On the alleged starvation deaths in Baran district, the Rajasthan government said it had yesterday announced a package to give at least 100 days employment to one member from each Sahariya family, to take 15,000 such families under the Antyodaya Anna

Yojana and provide 35 kilograms of rice at Rs 2 per kg, and provide economic support to 1200 sahariya families for housing.

Asking the Rajasthan government to file the affidavit by a "responsible officer not later than October 1, the bench said it would give details of the state's version of the cause of death of 23 persons, including 16 children, within a month."

The court also asked the state government to set out the mode and manner in which it proposed to implement the package announced yesterday.

Gonsalves had requested the apex court to direct the state to immediately take steps for inclusion of all Sahariya families under the Anyodaya Anna Yojana and put them under the below poverty line category so that they could avail of benefits under various government schemes.